Regulation
by Marvel
Summary: Starting after the final battle. Suppose the Lupins had survived, but Greyback's pack forces the passing of legislation that puts Remus into Azkaban.
1. Chapter 1

Tonks had nearly fallen asleep perched on the edge of a table, her head pillowed on Remus' shoulder, when he shifted the arm she was on top of. "Dora?"

"Hm?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Harry's back. Do you want to go say goodbye and go get Teddy?" She nodded and he chuckled. "I think you'll have to move then."

"I know," she sighed. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "Just stealing myself." With a groan she slipped off the bench and turned to Remus.

His left arm was in a sling and he had a few bumps and scratches but overall she knew he looked better than she did. Her back hurt from being thrown into a wall at one point and right side of her face stung. She had actually snuck into a bathroom to examine the green-tinged scar that ran down the right side of her face. It looked swollen and infected and she could feel cool liquid seeping out of it, but Madam Pomfrey had assured her that while she would always carry a scar, much like Remus' arm, it just needed time to heal.

Remus stood as well, putting his good arm around her and leading her toward the huge doors that led into the hall. Harry had drawn off to the side and was hiding in the shadows, looking a bit lost but he smiled when the couple approached. "Harry," Tonks said, opening her arms and he stepped into them. "Well done my man."

He blushed and she stepped back to let Remus embrace him. "James and Lilly would be so proud."

"I know," he said, but his eyes were drawn to Tonks' cheek. "Are you guys going to be okay?"

"We'll have scars but we'll be fine," Tonks said. "Would you mind terribly if we took off? We're exhausted and my mum will be worried sick."

"Of course," he said. "You should go."

"Where are you going to go?" Remus asked.

"Molly insisted I come to the burrow. For now at least," he said.

"Good," Tonks said. "We'll talk to you soon. You need to meet your Godson. We might get you signed up for babysitting duty. My mum could use a break."

"I'd love that," he said.

"We'll be in touch," Remus assured him.

Once again he wrapped his arm around her and they strolled down the path toward Hogsmead where they could apparate. Hagrid was with Grawp out on the lawn, moving some of the heavier debris. They waved as they passed and both the brothers waved back.

"I can't believe it's over," she sighed as they passed the gate.

"It isn't yet," Remus said. "There will be Death Eaters to coral. Trials. Get the ministry back in order. You'll be busy."

She chuckled. "Sounds like fun."

He shook his head at her as she offered him her hand. He took it and was drug along with her to land solidly outside Andromeda's black door.

Tonks knocked softly but didn't wait for an answer before tapping the door with her wand to unlock it and walked in.

Andromeda was in the living room, facing the door with her wand drawn. When she saw Tonks she actually dropped her wand to sprint across the room and hug her tight. "Nymphadora," she sighed. "You're all right."

Tonks rolled her eyes over her mother's shoulder at Remus, which made him grin. "'Course we are. No faith in your Auror daughter?" she chided.

Andromeda had tears in her eyes when she pulled back. Then she looked at Remus. "And you," she said, hugging the werewolf.

He raised an eyebrow at Tonks and she shrugged. She may have married a muggle-born but there was something of the Black family in her yet, and Remus couldn't blame her for never having fully approved of her only child marrying a werewolf. Andromeda had managed to fain excitement when Tonks announced they were married but this was the first time she had ever actually embraced him.

She drew back and looked at his arm, then her daughter's face. "Are you two going to be all right?"

"Fine," Tonks assured her. "In a week we'll be all healed up. Where's Teddy?"

"Still in his crib," she assured her. "Hasn't made a peep since you left."

Remus broke for it first, hurrying down the hall to the small guest room that housed Andromeda's makeshift nursery.

There he was, sleeping peacefully and as perfect as ever, bright green shock of hair catching the early morning sunlight.

Tonks was next to him in a moment, drawing a finger down the baby's cheek. "Hello Teddy. You wouldn't believe the world we've made for you."

Remus kissed her unscarred cheek. "The world does look a lot brighter today." He turned to Andromeda who was in the door frame, not wanting to intrude on the family moment. "Do you mind if we take him and scurry home? We're both completely exhausted."

"Of course," she said. "Just come back and see me soon. I'll need reassurance that you're both still fine."

Tonks chuckled as she picked the boy up and tucked the blanket more firmly around him. "Thanks Mum. We'll see you soon."

She woke to the sound of voices in the next room. She sat up and blinked, glancing at the clock. It was late evening. She'd slept the whole day. She sighed. Remus must have been up with Teddy most of the day. He should have woken her.

Although they were whispering there was an edge to the voices, and Tonks grabbed her wand out of habit. She stuck to the shadows of the hall, inching her way toward the living room.

She relaxed when she saw Kingsley in the open doorway, speaking to Remus.

"She's in no shape to go out right now. She's exhausted."

"We all are," Kingsley answered. "But this is important. I would much prefer to let her sleep but this can't wait."

She stepped into the room. "What happened?"

Relief bloomed on Kingsley's face when he saw her. "Death Eaters. Decimated a village. We need to find them before they do it again. I need you to come with me."

She nodded. "Let me just go get changed quick. You can let him in the door, Remus," she added as she hurried back to her room.

A moment later Remus joined her. "You should stay here."

"They need me," she said, pulling off her top. "I don't take this job lightly. And you know he wouldn't come here if it wasn't urgent."

He pulled her close as she finished struggling into her bra. "I just want you to be careful. We didn't survive all this to have you offed by some rogue Death Eater."

"I'll be surrounded by Aurors. We'll be fine," she said, patting his arm and pulling away to retrieve her Ministry robes.

"Surely they can find someone that hasn't been up all night and has a festering scar they're SUPPOSED to be letting heal."

"My scar will be fine. Walking around a village isn't going to make it fester more," she scolded. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He pulled her close as she moved to walk by him with shoes in hand and kissed her, desperately and passionately. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said, running a thumb over his cheek. "I'll be back soon."


	2. Chapter 2

Kingsley apparated them into the town square. For a moment all she could do was stare at the carnage around her. Kingsley hadn't prepared her for this.

She'd expected to see bodies lying peacefully where they had fallen, victims of the Avada curse.

There was blood everywhere. Limbs were scattered piecemeal hither and yon. Those that were held together were completely unrecognizable.

The tiny bodies of children were scattered carelessly in between. The fact that her son's hair could change colors at will made her stomach turn all the more. The back of her mind superimposed Teddy's face on the blonds as easily as the dark haired children.

She looked around, trying to find a place to step that wouldn't disturb evidence but the ground was painted red with blood everywhere.

"Where there any survivors?" she asked, eyes roving the area.

"Not many. A few. St. Mungo's doesn't think most of them will make it anyway. Children mostly."

She swallowed hard as she knelt next to a man whose face lay in strips. His sandy blond hair could have been Remus'. "This was werewolves?" She couldn't look at Kingsley as she said it.

"Has to be."

"Greyback?"

"We think so. And his pack. They were at the back of the group that came into Hogwarts with Voldemort. They were the first ones out when things turned bad for them."

"I thought that was the Malfoys," she said with a humorless snort.

"They weren't far behind."

She looked up at Kingsley. "We have to find them. They'll keep doing this until we catch them."

Kingsley nodded. "He knows what his sentence will be. He's decided to take as many innocent people with him as he can."

She swallowed hard and looked toward the edge of the square as if she'd see Greyback there, fleeing into the side street.

Instead she saw a wizard in dark green robes, with a camera.

She stood and strode quickly toward him. He was paying no attention to her, focusing on getting the perfect angle on a particularly grizzly body.

She raised her wand and yelled, "Accio camera!"

It shot out of his hands and into hers in a blur. He glared up at her. "You can't do that."

"Watch me," she snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Taking pictures," he said, pointing to a press badge tucked into the brim of his hat. "I'm with the Daily Prophet."

"I can see that," she said, ripping open the back of the camera and yanking the film out to expose it. He cried out but she ignored him, shoving the camera back into his hands. "No press. We haven't identified the bodies. We don't need you splashing pictures of victims across the front page before their families have even been told."

"You think they'd really recognize them?"

"Out!" she screamed. "This is a crime scene! No press, no pictures. And if anyone has a problem with that you can tell them they can bring it up with AUROR Lupin."

"Or Kingsley Shacklebolt," the large man said quietly. "I'm in charge of this crime scene. You may leave now or I'll give my Aurors the pleasure of dragging you off."

He glanced to his right, then shrugged. "I'm sending you a bill for the camera."

"You do that," she snapped back at him.

The door to her flat had never looked so good. She'd left her robes at the Ministry and been forced to abandon her blood covered shoes there as well. She wasn't in the mood to discuss werewolf attacks with her husband, and she certainly didn't want him seeing her covered in blood after everything they'd been through recently.

He was sitting on the couch with the paper spread before him on the table. He looked up when she entered and although she smiled at him he didn't return it. He did stand though, and walk across the room to hug her tightly. Although he moved it stiffly she noticed his arm was out of the sling.

"What's wrong now?" she sighed.

He rubbed his forehead. "You made the Daily Prophet."

"What?"

He retrieved the newspaper. Surrounded by pictures of torn and bloody scraps (she was pleased to note no bodies or grizzlier bits were visible) was a picture of her and Kingsley talking to the reporter.

She groaned. "He was a plant. I was supposed to see him so the other reporter could get the pictures."

"They're saying werewolves did this." She sighed heavily. "Greyback?"

She nodded. "We did find proof, not that we needed it."

"Do you have any idea where he is?"She shook her head. "He'll do it again," Remus asserted. "And again and again until you catch him. He knows-"

"I know, Remus. It's not as if we aren't trying," she snapped. "I'd still be out there looking if I hadn't tripped and hit my head on a desk. Kingsley said I was exhausted beyond all usefulness and sent me home."

"He was probably right." He ran his hand up and down her arm. "We'll have to be careful, Dora. You know Greyback would love to get his hands on you, and he'd love to turn Teddy even more."

"I don't think he'd try anything with us. Do you?"

"If he has a pack with him he may. Maybe we should just try not to take Teddy out for a bit. Be especially careful if Andromeda has him, that sort of thing."

She sighed heavily. "I know. But we'll have him in custody soon. Don't worry."

"I hope so."

"I'm just going to take a shower and fall into bed if you don't mind."

"I could warm you up something. You need to eat."

"Yes Molly," she teased. "Kingsley bought pizza. I've eaten." She stuck her tongue out at him as she plodded down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again she was woken by voices, although this time there was no attempt to be quiet. She grabbed her wand and hurried out to the living room when she heard a commanding voice (that was definitely not Remus) loudly order, "Stop resisting."

Remus was on his knees, hands behind his back and head down, calmly saying, "I'm not resisting but I need to wake my wife."

"Expelliarmus!" she cried, catching the closest man's wand as it flew toward her. The power of the spell sent him hard back into the door. She pointed her wand at the man standing behind Remus. "Step away from my husband."

"And that's why I wanted to be the one to wake her," he mumbled, straightening as much as he could and shaking the hair back out of his face to look up at her. "Dora, it's okay," he said very slowly and calmly. She blinked at him. Absolutely nothing about this situation was okay. "They're law enforcement."

"DMLE," the one behind Remus said, flashing a badge.

"Whoop dee do," she said, glaring at him. "I'm an Auror and that's a war hero you have on the floor. He's friends with Harry Potter, did you know that?"

"We're just following orders," the disarmed one said, dusting himself off.

"Who ordered you to arrest my husband?"

"It's the new Restrictions on Werewolf Activity Act. We're to take all registered werewolves into custody."

Remus' head dropped and she bristled at them. "And where did this come from?"

"It passed yesterday," Remus said quietly. "It's in the Daily."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"You were sleeping and I didn't want to upset you."

"Well I'm bloody well upset now!"

In the next room Teddy started to cry.

"It's all right Dora. I'll go with them." The disarmed one held out his hand and she grudgingly handed over his wand as his partner hauled Remus to his feet.

"Where are you taking him?"

"They'll be held at the Ministry for now."

"Lovely," she grumbled, glancing over her shoulder toward the bedroom Teddy's cries were issuing from more loudly. She stepped forward to put her arms around Remus. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded and kissed her check before he was hauled out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

She changed and dressed Teddy without conscious thought, which meant doing it all over when she realized his diaper was on backward and his socks were on his hands.

She bundled him into a blanket and stepped outside, a thought half formed of going to her mother, but when she apparated she found herself outside the burrow. Not knowing what else to do now she stepped forward. There was a buzzing of happy voices behind the door, and it did put a smile on her face as she knocked.

The laughter continues as footsteps neared the door. Molly Weasley wrenched the door aside and cried out when she saw them. "Tonks! And you've brought Teddy!"

"Tonks!" several voices called from inside while other, distinctly female, voices called that they wanted to see the baby.

"May I?" Molly asked, holding out her arms. She nodded dumbly as she handed the bundle to Molly, who immediately began to coo. "Oh, I do miss little ones. Come in, come in." She smiled and waved at the table.

"Where's Remus?" Harry asked.

She sat stiffly and blinked. "They just arrested him."

The entire kitchen fell stone silent, Teddy's babbling the only noise.

"But they can't!" Ron objected. "He fought AGAINST Voldemort. He was almost killed. Everyone saw it!"

"I told you. It's this new legislation," Hermione said. "There aren't any limitations on how long they can hold him or what he can do to be released. They can just keep him indefinitely."

"How did this pass?" Tonks asked.

"It was a closed session of the Wizengamot," Hermione said, handing her the paper. "There's all this werewolf hysteria after the attacks."

She groaned, dropping her head to her arms.

"Are you helping find Greyback?" Harry asked.

She yawned as she nodded. "I was going almost 48 hours straight before Kingsley sent me home."

"Just catch them," Harry said. "When they're off the street everyone will calm down and they can repeal the laws."

Tonks nodded. "Actually Remus gave me an idea. Molly, could I leave Teddy here? Remus is sure Greyback will be after him. If Remus and I can't be with him I can't think of anywhere safer than a house full of Weasleys with Harry and Hermione on top."

"We'd be delighted," Molly said.

"You may not ever get him back," Ron warned.

She chuckled. "I'll take my chances. I'm going back to work. I'll keep you all updated."

"Thank you Tonks," Harry said.

"If we can do anything let us know," Hermione added.

Andromeda sat in the living room, rocking the crying baby and humming softly to him as he wailed. "I know sweetie. I miss your parents too," she whispered to him. "Mummy will be back soon."

"I wouldn't count on that." She gasped and looked up at the scratchy voice as the hulking figure slumped into the room, cracking his knuckles and flashing his pointed nails, grinning to show his sharp teeth. "Hand the baby over missy, and maybe I'll let you live."

She stood up, dropping the blanket with a dull thunk. The blanket fell back to reveal a painted portrait of a squalling baby. The witch held up the wand she'd had concealed under the blanket. He stared in confusion as her hair smoothed and turned pink. "Not so brilliant are you?" Tonks asked. "You really think I wouldn't have my mother's flat spelled against apparation?"

His grin broadened. "That's all right. I'll take you."

"I wouldn't count on that." Three wizards emerged from the bedrooms. "Drop your wand, Greyback."

Tonks whistled as she skipped through the halls of the Ministry. Occasionally a witch or wizard would shout out congratulations of give her a high five. She grinned, her hair florescent pink.

The accolades became more scarce as she climbed further into the depths of the Ministry. Wizards and witches down here scuttled along. No one wanted to tarry in the dark passages.

Finally she came to the desk she was looking for. A new guard stood before the impressive door, arms crossed.

She smiled pleasantly at his glare. "Wotcher," she greeted, offering him a hand. "Auror Lupin. Lovely to make your acquaintance." He eventually uncrossed his arms to shake her hand although he certainly didn't seem happy about it, and he didn't offer his name in return. "I need to spend a few minutes with my husband."

"No one's allowed," he growled out.

"Look," she retrieved her ID and offered it to him. "I'm an Auror, I just captured the dangerous werewolf as has been causing all this trouble, I just need to tell him not to worry because his son's all right. Won't take but a few minutes."

"I have my orders."

She rolled her eyes. "Go get your supervisor then."

"He's busy."

"Well he just got busier." She stared him down. "If I have to go hunt him down on my own it isn't going to be pretty."

With a sigh he went to the nearby desk to scribble a note, tapped it with his wand, and watched it fold itself into a paper airplane and zoom away. "Thank you," she said, going to a nearby bench and seating herself crossing her arms and legs, one foot setting an agitated pattern.

Some twenty minutes later, as Tonks was beginning to lose all patients, a large man came waddling down the hall. She stood to meet him. "Auror Lupin?" he queried. She nodded. "Well fortunately Mr. Shacklebolt was in my office when the message came. He's given the order for you to visit your husband. I'll escort you personally."

"Thank you," she said, ignoring the obvious animosity in his voice. She smiled brightly as they passed the guard and started through the halls.

The man huffed as they moved through the dark cells, slowing more and more as they went. He crinkled his nose after a while. "Becoming unpleasant down here isn't it?"

"Imagine if you had a more developed sense of smell," she shot back. "You need to get them out of here."

"That's not my call," he replied. Finally he stopped before a cell and nodded to her, then withdrew into the shadows.

She stepped into the light, and ground her teeth when she saw her husband. His robes were positively shabby and soiled. He obviously hadn't been given the opportunity to bathe as his hair was beginning to resemble Snape's. She'd never minded a little stubble on him but he was beginning to look positively scruffy. It was unnerving to see her rather prissy husband in these conditions. He may not have had the best or newest but everything he owned had always been immaculately clean.

He sighed when he saw her. "Dora, you shouldn't be here."

"Because seeing you like this will piss me off?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"There's that," he agreed.

"I needed to tell you, we caught Greyback. Teddy's safe."

He sighed, rolling his eyes thankfully skyward. "How?"

"You called it. I took down the wards on my mum's place and made it look like I'd dropped Teddy off."

"Then you waited for him in the apartment?" he asked, alarmed.

"Well I wasn't going to leave my mum there. There were other Aurors." She reached through the bars to take his hands. "He never laid a finger on me."

"The pack?"

She shook her head. "Haven't caught them yet, but we will. Greyback didn't like competition so he eliminated anyone that would have made a decent leader. They aren't going to manage to attack anyone with that bunch of dunder heads. Sooner or later they'll stumble into a village to steal some food and we'll have them." She grinned. "And then we'll get you out of here and back home where you belong. I'm getting sick of pulling diaper duty alone."

He grinned at her, taking her hand and pressing it to his lips. She felt and electric thrill fly up her arm. "I miss you too."

"All right," the official broke in. "You've done what you came to do, and wasted enough of my time."

She turned to glare at him but Remus shook his head. "I'll see you soon." He squeezed her hand one last time and actually pressed it back through the bars.

Gritting her teeth again she turned to follow the official.


	5. Chapter 5

Just a word of warning: there is sex here. I've tried to tone it down but I upped the rating to M. I think it's less jarring than you'd see on TV at 8 pm, but I tend to give kids too much credit. I also think it's an important piece. So you're warned.

Sitting in the gallery above the courtroom Tonks massaged her forehead with a cool hand. The rest of the pack was crowded in below her, snarling and shoving each other. The thought of these...animals...being crowded in with her husband made her stomach turn. She was starting to see how people could think of werewolves as little more than animals.

Hermione sat beside her, quill clutched in her hand, papers covered in tiny notes spread before her.

The Wizengamot was trying again to get the crowd to settle down so they could give them instruction. Tonks found herself wishing they would just give it up. This crowd was never going to listen to anything they had to say even if they could quiet them long enough. The noise coupled with the smell of the unwashed and dirty crowd was starting to make her feel nauseous.

Giving up the head of the group, a wizard by the name of Gerard Fedderer, went on talking. Hermione leaned forward to catch the words. "As the Ministry is not equipped for this many people all werewolves will be moved to Azkaban tonight."

Tonks reached out and grabbed Hermione's sleeve. "They don't mean Remus?"

She looked a little pale. "He said all..."

She stood up. "Sir!" she called over the noise. He looked at the crowd and sighed, motioning her forward. She stayed in the stands but came as close to their box as she could. Hermione gathered blank parchment and followed.

"Your name?" he asked, looking at her from under the rim of his hat.

"Auror Lupin," she said. "My husband is in the cells right now. He isn't one of this lot, he hasn't done anything. You can't send him to Azkaban."

"I'm very sorry ma'am but we don't have the space-"

"You've had the space to keep him here for the last week!" she snapped.

A man next to their leader cleared his throat. She'd seen him in the halls before, and was fairly sure his name was Khan. "Mrs. Lupin, I've heard of you. We'd like to discuss the case but obviously this isn't a good time," he said, motioning toward the throng. "Perhaps we could find a time to meet with you-"

"I'm not going to wait months for you to schedule a meeting."

Khan nodded, leaning over to the note taker's desk and retrieving a calendar. "Of course. How does tomorrow sound? Around 2?"

She sighed. This sounded like a trap but it wasn't unreasonable. "Yes sir," she answered.

She was pacing outside the room for nearly an hour before the finally saw fit to call her in. She went in to a much smaller conference room, a seat at the end of the table open for her. The group looked up at her as she entered, nodding and whispering.

She sat, forcing her hair to remain a dull, acceptable brown and folded her hands.

Gerard shuffled his papers. "All right Auror Lupin. We've agreed to meet with you today although I'm unsure what you expect to get out of this. The law as it stands gives us ever right to-"

"Imprison innocent people?" she interrupted.

Khan smiled indulgently at her. "We've heard a lot about you Mrs. Lupin, You're a very admirable Auror, and very tenacious if your coworkers are to be believed." Translation: you'll continue being a pain in the ass if we don't shut you up, she thought, then shrugged. That was a fair assessment.

"That doesn't mean we can go around making exceptions," Gerard said.

"Oh, I don't see why not," Khan interrupted. "She's an Auoror of some talent. She can handle one fairly tame werewolf."

"He's very careful," she broke in. "He's never hurt anyone. He knows if he got loose my son and I would be his first victims and he couldn't live with that. He's positively paranoid every month. And the rest of the time he's a perfectly normal, rational man."

She heard a few people scoff but she couldn't figure out who it was when she raked the room with her eyes.

"So we could very well release him into your custody until this question is put to rest."

"I can take him home?"

"Every night," he said evenly.

"Every-" She stopped. "You expect me to bring him back to Azkaban?"

"Only while you're at work, and just for the time being. Mrs. Lupin, I'm disappointed. I thought you would be delighted with this opportunity."

"He still hasn't done anything wrong," she argued. "I don't need to babysit him."

"It's only temporary," he soothed. "It's the best we can do at the moment. The rest will come later." He tapped the secretary's desk. "We'll send over the order immediately if you like. You could go collect him in a few hours."

With a sigh she dug her finger nails into the table and nodded.

She sat anxiously on the bench, wondering how the witches and wizards that worked here could stand the sucking ache that seemed to permeate the walls. Her only defense was knowing that soon she would be taking her husband. She didn't want to think about what it was doing to him to be here. What knowing he would have to come back would do to him.

She looked up as the witch came in leading a shabby version of her husband. The wizard behind the desk nodded to her. "Auror Lupin, you may go. We expect to see you both back before you go to work tomorrow. You are to stay with him at all times."

She went over to him, wrapping her arms around him. For the first time she could remember he clung to her, his fingers knotting in her robes. She pulled back to look into his dull eyes, dark circles beneath.

He rushed forward to press his lips to hers desperately. Her eyes widened in surprise. He'd never liked even for her to take his hand in public. When he pulled back she smiled at him. "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" He just shook his head. She turned to the wizard behind the counter. "His wand?"

He shook his head. "He's not allowed to have one. Don't be lending him yours either."

"What?!"

"Dora," he whispered. "Leave it. Let's just go."

She wanted to argue but the look on his face made her stop. She turned and led him out of the building, not trusting herself to apparate there. "We'll have to go get Teddy."

"Could we go home first? Just for a moment."

"If you like." She took his arm and put them directly into the kitchen.

She barely even caught sight of her kitchen table before Remus hit her. He pressed her back against the wall, his mouth pressed firmly against hers with a desperation.

The lovemaking session was short and brutal. While he was ordinarily a very sweet and giving lover this was all about him.

When he finished she found herself cradling his head in the crook of her shoulder. After a few moments he pulled back and blinked at her as if just realizing she was there. "Dora?"

"Hm?" she responded, looking fondly into his eyes.

"Dora, I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"

"Of course I am."

"You must be bruised..."

She snorted. "I've tripped over floorboards and come out worse than this."

"Well, I can believe that." He ran a hand down her arm.

"I'm your wife. I'm here to make sure you have what you need. And I'd say you needed that."

"I don't know what came over me. You should have stopped me."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm an Auror, Remus. If I had wanted to I think I could have repelled the advances of one unarmed wizard." She pulled him close. "Believe me, any time you want to nail me to a wall and fuck my brains out you're more than welcome to it."

He shook his head. "I'll make it up to you later."

She grinned at him. "You don't have to, but I certainly won't object if you do." She patted his arm and set about redressing herself. "Why don't you shower and shave and I'll go get Teddy?" She wrinkled her nose at him. "And maybe burn those robes while you're at it."

"Dora, I'm supposed to stay with you."

"It will take me two minutes."

He shook his head. "Maybe don't start breaking the rules right away? I'm not anxious to have my parole revoked."

She sighed. "Fine. Go make yourself presentable." He came over to lay a kiss on her cheek before heading for the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

She couldn't help but look up from her dull ministry paperwork to smile at her son gleefully knocking down the tower of blocks her husband dutifully stacked for him, often not even getting half way before they went flying again.

He caught her eye and smiled back, earning a scream from Teddy. With a laugh she flicked her wand and Teddy squealed as the blocks whizzed back into place.

She caught the flash of longing in Remus' eyes before he ducked a block Teddy sent over his shoulder. "We should suggest George make self-stacking blocks for the shop. You could buy different sets, make whole castles," she suggested.

"Maybe you should quit the ministry and go into production."

"Only if I can chase him through the store flinging curses and knocking him down on a regular basis," she chuckled.

"He might go for that," Remus warned. "Probably even enjoy it."

"Aw, too bad I'm married. You're the only one allowed to enjoy me knocking him down and molesting him."

"I'm very glad to hear it."

She went back to the paperwork but was distracted when Teddy's scream rose in pitch.

Despite the noise Remus was staring blankly toward the window. She flicked her wand to restack the blocks and came over to kneel next to her husband. She continued to magically stack the blocks as she reached for his shoulder. He didn't move. She smoothed the hair out of his face but his eyes remained completely blank.

"Remus?" she said softly, shaking his shoulders.

Finally he came back, shaking his head to clear it. "I'm sorry?"

She shook her head at him. "You're home now. No need to go to that place any more than you have to."

He smiled and nodded. "Anyway it's time for Teddy's bath." Remus snatched the boy up. "You get back to work," he said, kissing her nose and heading for the bathroom.

She heard Teddy squeal and splash, then heard the rumble of Remus' voice from his bedroom, reading him stories. Then it got quiet.

Focused on her report she didn't notice that Remus never returned to the living room with a book as he usually did. It wasn't until the report was finished and she looked at the clock that she realized it was nearly midnight.

She found Remus in the bedroom, propped up on pillows with his glasses on and the book propped open in his lap. He wasn't looking at it though, instead staring into space.

She sat on the bed. "Remus?" He blinked hard for several moments before he focused on her. "Ready for bed?" she asked, at a loss as to what else to say.

He nodded, sweeping off his glasses and setting them on the night table next to the bed. She leaned forward to kiss him. Lately he had clung to her with a passion every night she'd never known in him. Not that she minded. The Order had made their time together short. Their honeymoon had been short-lived. She didn't mind taking advantage of it now.

Instead he kissed her on the cheek and rolled away from her, pulling the covers over his shoulder.

She couldn't help but look up from her dull ministry paperwork to smile at her son gleefully knocking down the tower of blocks her husband dutifully stacked for him, often not even getting half way before they went flying again.

He caught her eye and smiled back, earning a scream from Teddy. With a laugh she flicked her wand and Teddy squealed as the blocks whizzed back into place.

She caught the flash of longing in Remus' eyes before he ducked a block Teddy sent over his shoulder. "We should suggest George make self-stacking blocks for the shop. You could buy different sets, make whole castles," she suggested.

"Maybe you should quit the ministry and go into production."

"Only if I can chase him through the store flinging curses and knocking him down on a regular basis," she chuckled.

"He might go for that," Remus warned. "Probably even enjoy it."

"Aw, too bad I'm married. You're the only one allowed to enjoy me knocking him down and molesting him."

"I'm very glad to hear it."

She went back to the paperwork but was distracted when Teddy's scream rose in pitch.

Despite the noise Remus was staring blankly toward the window. She flicked her wand to restack the blocks and came over to kneel next to her husband. She continued to magically stack the blocks as she reached for his shoulder. He didn't move. She smoothed the hair out of his face but his eyes remained completely blank.

"Remus?" she said softly, shaking his shoulders.

Finally he came back, shaking his head to clear it. "I'm sorry?"

She shook her head at him. "You're home now. No need to go to that place any more than you have to."

He smiled and nodded. "Anyway it's time for Teddy's bath." Remus snatched the boy up. "You get back to work," he said, kissing her nose and heading for the bathroom.

She heard Teddy squeal and splash, then heard the rumble of Remus' voice from his bedroom, reading him stories. Then it got quiet.

Focused on her report she didn't notice that Remus never returned to the living room with a book as he usually did. It wasn't until the report was finished and she looked at the clock that she realized it was nearly midnight.

She found Remus in the bedroom, propped up on pillows with his glasses on and the book propped open in his lap. He wasn't looking at it though, instead staring into space.

She sat on the bed. "Remus?" He blinked hard for several moments before he focused on her. "Ready for bed?" she asked, at a loss as to what else to say.

He nodded, sweeping off his glasses and setting them on the night table next to the bed. She leaned forward to kiss him. Lately he had clung to her with a passion every night she'd never known in him. Not that she minded. The Order had made their time together short. Their honeymoon had been short-lived. She didn't mind taking advantage of it now.

Instead he kissed her on the cheek and rolled away from her, pulling the covers over his shoulder.

It got worse as time went on. No matter how much Teddy squealed and yelled, how many times he brought him toys or held up his arms to him and plaintively whined "Daddy" all Remus did was sit and stare into space. She purposely put his favorite books close at hand but he never read a word and eventually stopped opening them. He would rarely cook, something he used to enjoy, and when he did it was fairly bland by comparison to his masterpieces when he was wooing her. It was no wonder since he showed no enthusiasm for anything she put in front of him. He spoke less and less until a simple yes or no from him was an accomplishment. She didn't know what to do to pull him out of the funk. He didn't read so she couldn't ask him about the books he usually went on and on about. She could hardly ask him how his day was.

She found herself longing for a simple conversation with Sirius. She felt sure one of his old friends that could bring up happy memories of Hogwarts could pull him back.

She desperately tried to get the legislation brought back before the proper authorities but they became expert at ducking her in hallways and finding things much more important to legislate. She tried to get Harry and Ron to help, and she knew they did their best but they were busy and legislation wasn't their area of expertise. She owled Hermione often as she dared but with her concentrating on her NEWTs she couldn't expect her full attention.

Before she knew it, nearly a year had passed in a flash as Remus grew more and more distant.

She had realized it at work with a shock that day at work, the one year anniversary of Voldemort's downfall.

She'd tried to celebrate with her coworkers but the fact was when the Order was striving to survive and dreaming of a world free of Voldemort it hadn't looked anything like this in her head. She knew if she brought it up to Remus, the one person she'd really want to celebrate with, she'd get nothing more than a nod of the head. Assuming he would react at all.

Now she knocked on her mother's door and immediately opened it to let them in. Andromeda was in the living room, embroidery in hand as Teddy sat at her feet, a hippogriff in his hand making an unsteady flight through the air. He looked up when he heard the door and raised his arms. "Mommy!" he squealed.

"Little man!" she replied, scooping him up and kissing him. He ignored his father as thoroughly as Remus ignored him.

"Hello Remus," Andromeda greeted him politely although he didn't even look at her, walking past his wife and son to look out the window with faraway eyes. Andromeda stepped close to her daughter as she tried to guide Teddy's arms into his coat. "Are you all right dear?"

She looked sharply up at her mother. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just worry about you. Going to that place every morning, and again at night."

"Well I can't well just leave him there," she hissed. "If you think it's hard on me..."

"I know dear, but I doubt you're getting much help at home. Honestly sometimes I wonder if he would even notice if you left him there."

"Of course he would," she growled at her mother. "It's my marriage and you can very well butt out."

She sighed. "I worry about you is all."

"Thanks but we're fine. Remus?" She snapped her fingers to get his attention. Although it took a few moments he did look up. "I'm starving. Let's go home and get some dinner."

Remus made his way over to her in his normal stoop-shouldered plod. He took a handful of robe and she twisted on the spot, dropping them directly into the kitchen.

Teddy took off in a blur the moment she set him down, forcing her to chase him around the flat to retrieve his coat. When she had finally extracted it from her son she came back to find Remus standing in the same place, looking lost. "I'm going to take a quick shower," she told him, kissing his cheek. "Then I'll start on dinner."

"I'll do it," he offered, turning toward their fridge.

"Thank you," she said as he opened the appliance and stared blankly into it. "Teddy wanted macaroni and cheese last night so I got everything for it if you want to start the water." She offered him her wand. "Want to borrow it?"

He shook his head as always. She'd wanted to get a new wand and give him one for when he was at home but he always refused. With a sigh she took it with her.

The night passed the way all of them had. Remus cooked and she praised the dinner while he sat blankly. Teddy jabbered and tried to play with his father while she cleaned up, but Remus merely sat in the chair, his favorite book unopened next to him, staring into space. She didn't try to start a conversation; she'd given that up long ago.

When they went to turn in he sequestered himself in the bathroom while she slipped into her favorite nighty.

She'd worn it the night they got married and it had become a talisman for them. In their Order days when they rarely saw each other if he found her sound asleep wearing it he knew to wake her up. If she went into the bathroom and he'd laid it out for her she knew he was eagerly waiting for her. And if she emerged from the bathroom wearing it whatever book he was reading would be quickly abandoned.

She wasn't sure why she bothered any more. He hadn't more than pecked her cheek in 6 months, and even wracking her brain she couldn't remember the last time he'd done that much. But she wanted him to know she was still more than willing, that she still felt that way about him.

He emerged from the bathroom and lay down without even glancing at her, pulling the sheets over himself and rolling away from her.

"Remus?" She ventured, drawing close to him. He turned to look at her, not bothering to voice his attention. She leaned awkwardly over him to press her lips to his. He didn't move, his lips slack under hers. She pulled back to give him a sad look. "I love you." He nodded stiffly and settled back under the covers.


	7. Chapter 7

Quick quick note. I actually want to thank the reviewer who said the last chapter was boring with Remus so out of it. It actually made me feel really good. I spent a lot of time struggling with fleshing it out without making it too boring and I was feeling like I left too much out. But if it was boring then maybe I was right to cut it down. I really do appreciate it.

She woke with the strongest feeling that something was wrong. She grabbed her wand, hurried out of bed and went straight into Teddy's room.

The boy lay sound asleep, his chest rising and falling in a comfortable rhythm, his covers firmly in place. She pressed a hand to his forehead and found it cool.

She returned to her bedroom and looked around, suddenly realizing her bed was empty. She checked the bathroom but it was just as empty. She walked more sedately out to the kitchen. She turned on the light, half expecting to find him at the table with a cup of tea or firewiskey.

The stove was cold and the cupboards all closed. She turned to shut off the light when she caught a metallic glint in the living room. She raised her lit wand.

Remus was sitting in the living room, unmoving as ever, staring over her shoulder. "Remus, what are you doing?" He shrugged and she stepped into the living room, sitting next to him and taking his hand. "You're cold."

He shrugged again as she rubbed his hand to warm it, then reached for the other one. When she lifted his wrist she saw the glint of the knife in his hand.

"Remus, what are you doing with that?"

He finally met her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dora." Her heart clenched. He hadn't called her that in so long. "I just can't do it anymore. I'm no use to you like this."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I don't want to burden you."

"And finding my husband dead in the living room wouldn't?" He looked sheepish. "I'll talk to Kingsley tomorrow, tender my resignation. You won't have to go back there, not ever again."

"But you love your job."

"And I can always go back to it. But we'll have a new job now, getting the legislation overturned. With Hermione at the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures we have an in. And losing one of their best Aurors should light a fire under Kingsley and Harry. You'll be a free wizard in less than a year. I guarantee it."

"When did Hermione get that job?"

"Three months ago. I did tell you. She's just been getting her feet wet but I would say it's time she jumped in." She looked into Remus' beaming face. "You know it's times like this I think maybe Greyback had the right idea. Bet if you bit some of their kids the Wizigamot would overturn the law in NO time."

"Dora, you can't want that curse on their children! Just imagine if Teddy-"

"I know," she broke in. "I just wish there were a way to make them feel...this." she waved vaguely at her chest.

"I'm sorry, Dora. I never wanted this curse visited on you."

"Hey." He looked up at her. "Living my life without you would have been the real curse." She leaned up to kiss him, and to her surprise he kissed her back. It was a fond kiss, not deep and passionate, but she felt her heart skip a beat all the same."

"What the hell is this?"

Every head in the office snapped up to look at Kingsley who was standing red-faced in front of her desk, dropping a roll of parchment in front of her. Kingsley didn't yell, and on the rare occasions he did it was never at Auror Lupin. She unrolled the parchment to glance at the first few lines, then tossed it back toward him. "My resignation," she said evenly, turning back to the parchment before her.

"Your what?!" Harry had taken up residence just a few desks over, and he and Ron were suddenly over her shoulder.

"My resignation," she answered calmly, dipping her quill in ink. "I decided it's time to take some time off."

"Where is this coming from?" Kingsley demanded.

She looked around at the peering faces. "Not now."

"My office, now," Kingsley ordered.

With a sigh and a roll of her eyes she stood to follow. "Come on guys," she said to Ron and Harry. "I may need backup."

Kingsley closed the door firmly behind him and spelled it against eavesdroppers while she collapsed into a chair sideways, hooking one leg over the arm. Kingsley glared at her but she only smiled amiably back at him. "So what is this about?"

She looked down and sighed, steadying herself before she met Kingsley's eyes. "I caught Remus with a knife last night," she told them, looking up at their concerned faces. "He can't do it anymore and neither can I. Taking him there every day is taking a toll on me. We've got some money saved so I figured I'll just stay home, spend some time with him. We can help Hermione take on this legislation, hopefully get it overturned. If we're lucky I'll be back in less than a year."

"You're serious about this then?" Kingsley asked.

"It isn't because I want to," she sighed. "I just have to. I can still help out. You can owl me if you need anything. If I can bring Remus along I can do pretty much whatever you'd like."

Kingsley started opening drawers, digging around. "Tell you what," he said as he searched. "We'll keep you on. As a consultant. That way when you're ready to come back we can bring you right back in. It will be a pay cut obviously but at least you'll still have some income."

"And we'll help Hermione with anything she needs," Harry said. "I'll even talk to the Prophet if you want me to."

She winced. "I don't know that I want you to go that far."

"It's not a bad idea though," Ron said. "We'll ask Hermione what she thinks."

"And I can rattle some cages," Kingsley said. "I've been holding off since we've been trying to pull the ministry back together but I may be in a position to get away with it now. I can at least lean on them a bit."

She grinned up at them. "You guys are great."

Harry shook his head. "Remus has been there for us. He's our friend too. You should have told us it was so bad."

"I didn't know," she said. "I really didn't. He was just withdrawn. I didn't have any idea he was feeling anything more than…vacant."


	8. Chapter 8

Remus stepped into the bedroom. "I think Teddy's ready-" He stopped when he caught sight of the witch sitting at his wife's dressing table. He looked around the room, wondering how his mother-in-law had arrived without him knowing, before his eyes returned to the curly black mop of hair held up with a very extravagant jeweled clip. It was the smirk that caught his eye.

"What do you think?" his wife asked as she stood.

Her face was slimmer than normal and her cheekbones were more pronounced, her nose perfectly straight and her complexion creamy. There were still traces of her in it, but you had to look for them. "You look very...like a Black."

She grinned. "That's what I was going for. Time to remind these gits who they're dealing with. About time Mum's side of the family did me some good." She stood and fluffed out her robes. "What do you think?"

He whistled as he looked her up and down and she twirled for his inspection. Her jade robes nearly glowed on her. Sapphires at her neck and wrist caught the light and her fingers glittered with jewels. Her wedding band, by far the dullest piece of jewelry she now wore, was hidden under a giant ruby. "Where did all this come from? You didn't rob a jewelry store while I took Teddy for ice cream did you?"

She shook her head. "They're Mum's." She laughed again when his eyebrows went up. "It's all false. Dad had a friend as made jewelry. He knew Mum was sad she never got her inheritance so every birthday and Christmas he would dig through pictures of social events the Blacks attended and have him make knock offs."

"That's very sweet," he commented.

She nodded. "Lucky I got my taste in men from her." She straightened the collar of his robes. "You do look very handsome."

He snorted, running a hand through his hair. His condition had done its bit to age him but the year in Azkaban had done worse. Far from sandy blond his hair was now almost completely grey and the wrinkles on his face were now deep crevices. It had improved some in the months since he'd stopped returning. The sparkle in his eye and lightness in his step took at least ten years off, in her opinion. She hadn't realized how old he looked until it started to fade away.

She shushed him, and he saw grey creep into her dark curls. He shook his head at her as he pulled one around for her inspection. She pouted. "I sensed the 'too old' speech coming on. I can always change how old I look."

"I prefer the way you normally look."

"After I convince all these stuck up buggers to repeal the law you can have your wife back, pink hair and all." Her hair returned to its black state.

"Can't wait," he grinned. "Come see your son."

Teddy was in the living room banging a plastic wand against one of George's trick hats, giggling as a white rabbit stuck its head out and sniffed at him, then disappeared back into the satin lining.

"My goodness, don't you look handsome," she said, lifting him into her arms and straightening his dress robes.

"Mummy!" he objected, grabbing the neck of her robe and jerking it so it gaped in the front as he tried to dive out of her arms to get back to his toy. Well accustomed to his mother's changing features he'd learned to key in to her voice and the moment she spoke no amount of shape shifting would confuse him.

Remus pulled their cloaks from the hall closet and closed the clasp around his wife's throat, kissing her cheek. "Shall we put on Teddy's?"

She shook her head as Remus applied his own. "It's warm enough he doesn't need it."

He played with the clasp under his mother's throat. "Why you wear one then?"

"To show off how pretty it is," she answered. "Ready to go see Grandmummy?"

"Gama!" he cried happily.

She laughed as Remus came and put his arms around her and she pushed them into the receiving area of the fine ballroom the Ministry had rented out for the occasion.

"Gama!" Teddy cried the moment he spotted Andromeda. They couple met her and she eagerly held out her arms to her grandson.

"Teddy, dear!" she said as he cuddled him to her chest. "We haven't spent nearly enough time together lately. Perhaps I should give you two a day or two off."

"And to think she used to complain about babysitting," her daughter remarked.

"I never," she objected. "And look how handsome he is. If only we could do something about that hair," she sighed, only half joking as she looked forlornly at Teddy's bright green curls.

Teddy glanced between his mother and grandmother, scrunched up his nose, and black curling locks erupted from his head.

"Well, that's..."

"Disconcerting," Tonks finished for her.

"As long as he doesn't try to copy my hair I'm happy," Remus laughed. "Ah, here's our favorite trio."

He waved over the women's heads and the turned to see Harry, Ron, and Hermoine pushing through the thong, Ginny in stunning robes not far behind.

"Hello!" Harry greeted enthusiastically.

"Hermione, you look absolutely breathtaking," Dora said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Doesn't she Ron?"

"I already said she does!" Ron objected as the girls chuckled.

"Tonks, you look...different."

"Creepy," Ron added.

"Ronald!" Hermoine cried.

"What? She does!" he objected.

"That's the idea," she said. "They've seen my mad aunt staring down at them from the wanted posters long enough to develop a healthy fear. Maybe I can frighten these Wizigits into doing the right thing."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is that REALLY how you want to get the laws changed?"

"Long as they change I don't care."

"Ever the politician," Remus chuckled. "Shall we get to it then? The sooner we're done the sooner we can leave."

They entered the grand doors, Harry trying unsuccessfully to get Andromeda to give up Teddy for a moment.

"Okay Hermione," she said, pulling her close. "Who voted for the bloody thing?"

"Hm," she said, craning around the crowd. "Let's schmooze, see if we can find some of them."

"We'll wait here," Remus eagerly volunteered.

"Coward," she whispered, letting Hermione pull her into the crowd.

"Oh, there's one," she said. "Pesthert Davies. I'm not sure it's worth trying though. He's dead against any rights for non-wizards. Or cross species," she added quickly.

"Acid test then," she said. "Thank you Hermione."

"Want me to come?"

"Let me give it a try on my own. I'll signal if I need you."

The girl looked relieved as she nodded and faded gratefully into the crowd.

Tonks approached the group of ancient wizards, sidling up beside the man Hermione had indicated. She waited for a lull in the conversation before turning to offer him her hand. "Mr. Davies?"

"Yes my..." He cut off when he turned to look at her, swallowing hard. Her pleasant smile seemed to give him strength and he managed to finish, "...my dear."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Auror Lupin."

He nodded faintly. "Forgive me an old man's mind, the name sounds familiar but I'm afraid it's escaping me."

"Oh, I'm a friend of Harry Potter's. Order of the Phoenix and all that. Remus, my husband, he's a werewolf." The man paled and she motioned toward the group. "That's him there, with our little boy." The man took in Andromeda and Harry as well. "It's been a year since the legislation passed that imprisoned him. We're working to get it back on the schedule. It's high time a permanent decision was made, and I'm sure you don't want to see innocent people imprisoned. I know it drove me nearly MAD, taking him back to that place every day. I very nearly lost him to it. Now, he's the sweetest gentlest man you could ever hope to meet. He wouldn't be the least bit happy if he knew I was talking about this. But you know, it is hard on the family. It made me fair desperate. If you can imagine the damage a desperate Auror could inflict." She laughed rather a bit too loudly, getting looks from those around her. Davies didn't seem inclined to join in. "I've managed to scale back my work, so I can keep him at home with me. But thinking about all those other families that don't have to option, it's very difficult."

"Yes, of course," he hurried to assure her the moment she paused long enough for him to get a word in. "It's just, it is a difficult time now. It wouldn't' do to appear soft on werewolves."

"Well a year ago with the whole Greyback mess I could see that, but people have rather calmed down. And if it came to that Rita Skeeter and my dear friends go WAY back. I could nearly guarantee the Prophet won't print it. In fact I may be able to talk her into a rousing feature on the fight to give innocent people their freedom and all that." She waved a hand. "At any rate, we can count on your vote then?"

"I...will certainly give it due consideration."

She nodded. "Very good. Well I hope to talk to you again very soon. I'll be keeping an eye on you Mr. Davies." Inclining her head she turned on her heal and strode away.

Hermione appeared at her side. "How did go?"

"Well I'm pretty sure he's scared." She glanced behind her. "At any rate, this is way too much fun."

It was over an hour before she rejoined the group. Ginny was supporting Teddy on her hip as he tugged at her earring, eyes heavy and fingers sticky.

Remus immediately put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "How's it going?"

"Well. I'm pretty sure I scared the pants off a whole bunch of very old and talented wizards."

"Lovely," her mother said sarcastically.

She ignored her. "I think we've gotten most of the people that voted against it in the first place. I just want to check in with those that voted for it. Make sure nothing's changed and see if they can help us get the legislation back on the table. Hermione's going to help with that."

"How long do you think it will be?"

She shrugged. "Another hour? There aren't as many of them but we have to do more schmoozing and chit chatting. Are you tired?"

"I'm more worried about Teddy."

She glanced at the boy. "He can sleep on your shoulder if he needs to can't he?"

"Of course." He kissed her forehead. "Andromeda could always take him if he got too fussy. Or Harry and Ginny may be willing to take him back to the flat."

She grinned up at him. "Thank you Daddy."

"You're welcome Mummy."

She was about to plunge once more into the crowd when Kingsley stepped onto a makeshift stage. A general round of applause broke out and Tonks couldn't resist putting her fingers in her mouth and letting out a shrill whistle.

He gave her a knowing look and held his wand to his throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight. It's a great relief for me to see so many of our Ministry members mixing after the year we've had. I want to thank each and every one of you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for all of the hard work you've put in. And I want to extend that thanks to their loved ones. We know you sacrifice time with them for the good of wizard kind and that deserves our thanks as well." He paused once again for applause. "One more order of business then. Although it is not awarded until April it is traditional for me to announce who will be receiving the Order of Merlin award. Of course last year I had the unprecedented pleasure of awarding three very deserving heroes with the award. There was no doubt that Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger, who I am pleased to announce now all are in the employ of the Ministry, deserved it. And of course there are countless more that fought in one of the greatest wars England has ever seen."

While Kingsley went on about the honor Remus bent down and whispered in his wife's ear, "Who is it?"

"I dunno. I'm sure Harry does." She leaned around her mother to hiss at him. When he looked up she mouthed 'Who is it?' to him. He shrugged. "Kingsley didn't talk to you?" He shook his head.

Tonks straightened. "Huh. Mystery I guess."

"You won't have to wait long," he assured her as Kingsley grinned down at them.

"I'm pleased to announce this year's recipient will be Mr. Remus Lupin."

His wife spun to look at him. His eyes got big and his back went ramrod straight as heads turned the direction Kingsley was indicating and applause sprung up around them.

Kingsley smiled as Remus shook his head in disbelief. Dora squealed, hair suddenly bright pink as she jumped to wrap her arms around her husband. "You can tell when Auror Lupin is excited. She always turns pink." She turned to stick her tongue out at him. "You may not know this, but Lupin is a member of the original Order of the Phoenix. One of the few still with us. He was James Potter's close friend in Hogwarts and the only remaining member of their group. In the current Order he was the first one to jump at the most dangerous jobs. I can't think of anyone more deserving of the honor." He paused and waited for the applause to calm down again before he cleared his throat. "I would add that he is a werewolf and will in fact be the first one to receive this honor. For the gathered members of the Wizengamit, I would remind you that were it not for the exception that allows him out under the supervision of his wife he would have been in Azkaban for the last year and would still be there today. You might also consider that as the law stands, he will be walking across the stage to accept the highest honor a wizard can receive without being allowed to carry a wand. I've been pushing to get the legislation reevaluated and this may be a good time to do just that.

"But that is a discussion for another day." He raised his arms and the music started again. "Tonight we celebrate. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the rest of your evening."

He stepped off of the stage and the crowd went back to what they were doing while their group closed in around them. "Well done Professor," Hermione said with a grin. Despite his many corrections she refused to stop calling him that.

"He's right," Harry said. "No one deserves it more."

"And that sly dog just gave them a deadline," Dora said with a grin. "My husband the hero."

"You really didn't know about this?" he asked the group. All around him people shook their heads. He looked down at his wife. "You deserve this at least as much as me."

"I wasn't in the Order the first time around."

"That's because you were five."

"I still haven't risked my life as much as you." She cuddled into his chest. "McGonagall will probably owl with a teaching job for you when it gets out. Parents will be tripping over each other to have their kid taught by someone with the Order of Merlin. Especially Dark Arts."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Remus said. "He'll start getting owls by the boatload when word gets out he wants to give the award to a werewolf. They'll vote it down."

"They can't," Harry said. "It's been announced. The whole Ministry just heard it."

"How...how did he get them to vote for me?" he asked.

"I'd say your record speaks for itself," his wife said, kissing his cheek and reaching for her son. "Teddy, your daddy's a hero!" She cuddled him close.

Teddy beamed up at Remus, and the group chuckled as you could see his heart melt and turned away.

"Remus." They turned to find Kingsley standing there. "I assume you'll accept?"

"Do I get a choice?"

"Traditionally I'm supposed to ask first. But I was afraid you would say no." Tonks chortled. He drew close and lowered his voice. "You're not the only one this will help."

"I know. I'm honored. I don't know how you did it but thank you."

"I'm glad I was able. I mean it Remus. I'm not doing this just because of the timing. You deserve it."

He blinked at him. "James and Sirius sacrificed more."

"And their turn may come. But you would have given your life if you were called on. I saw you risk it often enough."


	9. Chapter 9

Dora was on the floor attempting to mop up the clumps of applesauce Teddy was still joyfully flinging around the room when the knock sounded on the door.

"What now?" she sighed, throwing the rag down as Remus aimed another spoonful at the toddler's mouth.

"Want me to get it?" he offered.

She shook her head. "You have apple sauce in your hair."

"So do you." She glanced up and with a blink turned her air a very apple sauce shade of blond. "Cheater," he said, wiping Teddy's chin.

She winked at him, then pulled the door open. "Kingsley!" she greeted him. "Come in. What are you doing at my door on a Tuesday morning?"

He entered with a smile. "Is Remus in?"

"Where else would he be?" she asked with just a touch of bitterness. "He's not allowed out of my sight, remember?"

"Let's see what we can do about that, shall we?" he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Kingsley, lovely to see you," Remus said, offering him a hand.

Tonks unstrapped her son from the chair with a tap of her wand. "Come on Teddy. Want to get Uncle Kingsley all sticky?"

"Tempting as that sounds, I do have to return to the Ministry. I shouldn't have left but I wanted to show you this in person." He pulled a roll of parchment from his case. It was covered in ribbons, seals, and signatures.

Remus took it, squinting at the small writing, then looked up at Kingsley. "No." Kingsley grinned. "Already?"

"The Wizengamot stayed late last night to finish it. It was on my desk waiting for my signature this morning. They did amend some of the laws regarding werewolves, but it's actually for the better. Wolfsbane will be readily and anonymously available to anyone that wants it. If a werewolf is found in a dangerous situation they will be forced to turn themselves in to Ministry custody monthly when they turn. If they do not show up then they can be imprisoned. But otherwise, Mr. Lupin, you are free to go anywhere you would like, with or without your wife. Oh, and, I wanted to return this personally." He reached into a pocket and offered Remus a wand.

With a trembling hand he took it and red and yellow sparks flew from the end. Teddy attempted to escape his mother's arms to touch them while she grinned at him. "Looks like someone missed you," she said fondly.

"For what it's worth, I'm going to Azkaban to oversee the other's release. Owls have been sent to their friends and family. So I had best go."

"Kingsley, thank you so much," he sighed.

"Thank me in your speech," he suggested. "Get to work on it."

"Thanks Kingsley," she said after him. Closing the door she turned to grin at Remus. "So what do you want to do first?"

He was still gazing down at his wand. "Would you be insulted if I wanted to go for a walk by myself?"

"Not at all. Teddy and I can take a bath." She kissed his cheek and reached up to run a finger through his hair. "You may want to get the applesauce out of your hair first though."

The very end.


End file.
